The liaison centers, also known as intelligence fusion cells, in Quetta and Peshawar are the main conduits for the United States to share satellite imagery, target data and other intelligence with Pakistani ground forces conducting operations against militants, including Taliban fighters who slip into Afghanistan to attack U.S. and allied forces.

Pakistan's distrust of the U.S. is growing: [More...]

Javed Hussain, a retired Pakistani brigadier, blamed the decision to close the three intelligence centers on the mistrust that has plagued U.S.-Pakistani relations in recent months. Washington's decision to carry out the raid against Bin Laden without informing Pakistan's security establishment brought that mistrust to a new low, he said.

Pakistan says it has done a lot in the war on terror and gets far too little credit.

Intelligence sharing, data mining, video surveillance, wiretapping, records searching, even rewards for spying on your neighbor and reporting your groundless suspicions -- it never ends. It just keeps on growing.

Of course, Pakistan's cutting off of the fusion centers had nothing to do with civil liberties, but all the same, if it means there are three less spy machines in the world, I'm in favor of the shut-down. Now, how do we get rid of them at home?

dollars of our aid back as well. The choice is pretty clear, if you accept aid dollars and intel from us then we expect something in return. We can either assist their forces in finding the bad guys or, if necessary, do it unilaterally. Or you can get nothing and go at it alone and hope your country doesn't get overrun by a bunch of fanatics. You don't get to take our money and harbor some of the most wanted men the world. Pretty simple concept.

were China - and funding our governnent for years - and the most wanted man in China who murdered thousands of civilians was hiding here - I really don't think we'd be bombing China into the dark ages if they sent their version of the CIA here to take him out.

that distrusts us :)? Their leaders actions don't speak what their military party leaders are speaking to their base. And that is all this is. It is only the speak of political party rhetoric and nothing more.

Hillary Clinton is on a "surprise visit", trying to mend the frayed relationship (I guess?).

She praised Pakistan as a "good partner" in global efforts to fight terrorism.[...] "We do have a set of expectations that we are looking for the Pakistani government to meet but I want to underscore, in conclusion, that it is not as though they have been on the sidelines. They have been actively engaged in their own bitter fight with these terrorist extremists."

that Jeralyn misses. They have every intention of working with us and continuing their relationship. They gave us back our helicopter tail :) They are allowing our CIA back into the Bin Laden compound. Pakistani political power is divided into factions just as ours is. And the Pakistani military has political party power that our military does not have and isn't supposed to have either, and if Musharraf doesn't say such things his party is only going to make its base angry. It's all politics all the time....even in Pakistan.

I would actually be surprised to find out large cities didn't have some sort of terrorist hub, or fusion centers. We are slicing and dicing the budget to rid it of waste while the internal spy agency builds and builds. Shocker.

Pakistan is a lost cause, any cooperation with the US and the crazies attack government facilities. It's either cooperate with us or put their own people at risk, that's not much of a choice considering a large segment isn't real US friendly to begin with.

And they can't root out the crazies because they are embedded in their government everywhere, much like our crazy faction, one of them looks like she might even run for President. We can't just rid ourselves, too many people on team crazy. Granted Pakistan's crazy wing is far more violent. Can't just eliminate people that have a large backing, even when they are crazy.

The super-secret Fusion Center for Northern California is hidden in the Philip Burton Federal Building at 450 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. If you want to go there to do surveillance, you can probably get in, but you will have to check any weapons like Swiss army knives. In my experience the federal marshals there who will be screening you are very nice and professional.